KOTTAYAM: Nearly 10 months after coming to power, UDF lost it in Erattupetta municipality after LDF and SDPI joined hands to pull down the ruling council on Monday. With the support of SDPI and a Congress councillor, who turned hostile, LDF got its no-trust motion against municipal chairperson Suhra Abdul Khader passed.
In the 28-member council, UDF has 14 members, LDF nine and SDPI five. Other than LDF and SDPI members, Congress councillor Ansalana Pareekkutty, who had reportedly gone missing after LDF served notice for the no-trust motion, voted against the chairperson. Following this, chairperson Suhra of the Muslim League stepped down. According to reports, Ansalana will be the LDF’s chairperson candidate in the upcoming election. At the same time, UDF has initiated steps to disqualify Ansalana, who violated its whip.
“We had given a whip to participate in the discussions over the no-trust motion and abstain from voting. However, Ansalana voted in favour of the no-trust motion. We will take required steps to disqualify the member who violated the whip,” said Siraj Kandathil, Muslim League’s Erattupetta municipal committee general secretary.
Sources said LDF would soon move another no-confidence motion against municipal vice-chairman V M Muhammed Illyas, who had won on a Congress ticket. Erattupetta municipality, which had witnessed a change of guard in its administration several times due to unstable administrative council during the 2015-2020 period, appears to be following the same path this time as well with the opposition bringing down the chairperson through a no-confidence motion within 10 months after the new council came to power.
Earlier, Ansalana going missing had ignited a political controversy with UDF alleging that local MLA Sebastian Kulathungal’s involvement behind the incident. The UDF leadership organised a series of protests in Erattupetta and led a march to the office of the MLA in connection with it. However, Kulathungal, who dismissed the allegations, challenged UDF leadership to prove it.
During the 2015-20 term, an LDF councillor who was elected the chairperson with the support of the SDPI had resigned shortly after the election stating that the LDF didn’t want to come in power with the support of that party. However, this time, LDF is likely to accept the support of the SDPI in the upcoming chairperson election.